Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, best practices and the latest in chess news. Learn more at PerpetualChessPod.com
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This week’s guest on the Adult Improver Series is Matt Biancuzzo. Matt is a 31-year-old New York City consultant who is very active in both the local chess scene and on social media. He has taken full advantage of New York’s many chess opportunities, regularly attending chess gatherings and pub nights while also competing in tournaments locally. Over the past few years he has improved from below 1400 USCF to a peak of over 1800! Matt has worked with multiple coaches, grinded tactics, and consume...
This week’s returning guest is NM Han Schut. Han is a former corporate executive turned Chessable author and trainer, known for his expertise in the Chess Steps Method and chess technology. Han joins me to reflect on the legacy of his fellow Dutchman, GM Jan Timman, who recently passed away. He shares personal anecdotes and discusses Timman’s impact as a world-class competitor, prolific author, and cultural icon in the Netherlands. We also explore a fascinating recent project: Han built a custom...
Grandmaster Aman Hambleton reflects on the recent Speed Chess Championship in London, offering behind-the-scenes insights into the event's atmosphere and Magnus Carlsen's performance. He delves into his extensive new Chessable course on the London System, including personal discoveries and refutations for common criticisms. Aman also provides valuable advice for intermediate players seeking to improve their middlegame and shares thoughts on the evolving landscape of chess formats and online ratings.
What role does chess play in our lives? That’s a recurring question on Perpetual Chess , and one that author Katie Kormanik explores in her new, personal memoir, Adventures of a Chess Girl . A former top scholastic player, Katie looks back at the competitive years of her early 20s and reflects on how chess became a refuge during a stressful and uncertain time. The game allowed her to travel widely and immerse herself in an eclectic social circle of strong players from around the world. Although ...
Is it possible to continue to get better at chess once you hit your 50s? The Adult Improver Series returns, and that’s one of the central questions I explore with today’s guest, long-time friend of the pod and fellow chess podcaster Dr. Kevin Scull . Kevin is the host of the popular Chess Journeys podcast, where he interviews adult chess improvers on a weekly basis. In our conversation, he shares insights drawn from hundreds of interviews, as well as from his own dedicated pursuit of tournament ...
In this highly anticipated episode, four-time US Champion GM Yasser Seirawan reflects on his renowned storytelling ability, tracing its roots to a childhood love for books and mentorship from figures like Miguel Najdorf and Bent Larsen. He details the unique approach to teaching chess that inspired his "Winning Chess" series, explains the surprising origins of piece values, and fondly recalls his collaborative friendship with the late Jeremy Silman. Seirawan also highlights the significant renovations at the St. Louis Chess Club, the World Chess Hall of Fame's diverse exhibits, and the club's innovative community programs, concluding with a memorable encounter with Mikhail Botvinnik.
Brad Stulberg shares insights from his new book, "The Way of Excellence," applying concepts like "arrival fallacy" and "summit fever" to chess. He offers advice on navigating plateaus, balancing digital study with analog play, and valuing consistency and community in a hobby. The discussion also touches on early specialization versus multidisciplinary learning and lessons from interviewing elite performers.
Prolific author and book reviewer FM Carsten Hansen returns to Perpetual Chess to talk chess improvement, chess publishing, and to provide a rundown of standout recent chess books. We start with a listener question about plateauing in tactics training. How do we know if we’re just hitting a speed bump, or if we’ve reached our ceiling? From there, we dive deep into chess books, sharing recommendations with both a biographical and improvement focus. Lastly, we discuss Chess Openings for Dummies an...
Grandmaster Surya Ganguly is a six-time champion of India, a popular Chessable author , and a former member of Viswanathan Anand’s World Championship preparation team. He is also a co-founder and coach at ProChessTraining.com , where he works with students ranging from adult amateurs to elite grandmasters. Surya joined me shortly after returning from the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships, where his own results fell short of expectations. This experience led to a thoughtful and honest di...
Hammersmith Chess Club Captain Gaston Franco shares the remarkable story of his club's resurgence, growing from a struggling 20-member group to London's largest and winning ECF Chess Club of the Year. The episode highlights strategies for community chess growth, including financial sustainability, creating a welcoming culture for women and juniors, and the importance of volunteer commitment. Franco also delves into his personal chess journey and compares the chess scenes in Argentina and London, providing practical advice for other clubs.
IM Junta Ikeda offers deep insights into chess improvement, tackling common amateur mistakes like not playing enough and avoiding weaknesses. He shares strategies for overcoming time trouble and the fear of making mistakes, emphasizing the importance of enjoying the learning process. The episode also explores the unique chess landscape in Japan, the role of talent, and valuable training resources, including non-chess book recommendations for a broader perspective on life and games.
In this episode, renowned author IM John Donaldson delves into Bobby Fischer's chess improvement philosophy, training methods, and the story behind his meteoric rise, as detailed in his new book, 'Inside the Mind of Bobby Fischer'. The discussion also covers Fischer's unique personality and the lasting obsession surrounding him. Additionally, John shares personal recollections of a young Daniel Naroditsky and offers insights into the US Chess Olympiad team's future.
The Adult Improver Series returns with the remarkable story of FM Nick Matta, a five-time Louisiana State Champion who made one of the most unusual rating climbs in recent memory. Nick returned to tournament chess as a college freshman and went from roughly 1400 to 2400 USCF over the next decade. In our conversation, he breaks down the habits and mindset shifts that fueled that rise, including: How complete immersion in chess during his college years accelerated his progress Why the mental game ...
As a fascinating and upset-laden FIDE World Cup comes to an end, 2022 Austrian National Champion GM Felix Blohberger joins me to break down the key moments, share stories from his own World Cup experience, and reflect on his chess career. GM Blohberger has been offering insightful commentary on his YouTube channel where he has been sharing his thoughts on the FIDE World Cup, and was able to elaborate on many themes from his channel in our interview. In our conversation we discuss: The new Candid...
IM John Barthomew is a former scholastic national champion turned popular and longtime chess Youtuber and serial entrepreneur. His clear and friendly teaching style has garnered him over 200,000 subs and many devotees of the Scandinavian defense, the opening for which he is best known. In our conversation we discuss: Five chess improvement conclusions that John drew from playing in (and documenting) The LiChess LoneWolf League The challenges and rewards of helping to build Chessiverse . Chessive...
FM Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center, was a close friend of GM Daniel Naroditsky and played a pivotal role in encouraging Daniel to build his post-collegiate life in Charlotte. Peter and the tight-knit Charlotte community spent significant time with Danya, including in the days leading up to his tragic passing. In this conversation, Peter reflects on their friendship, shares what he feels is appropriate about Danya’s final days, and highlights a new fundraiser created to hon...
This week’s guest is U.S. Chess Hall of Famer GM Maurice Ashley . Maurice will forever be known as the first African American to earn the Grandmaster title, yet he has gone on to build a varied and distinguished career across all facets of the game. He is a popular author and highly regarded Chessable creator, a teacher, an organizer, and a frequent commentator for major chess events, often from the St. Louis Chess Club. Maurice and I discussed: His perspective on chess improvement, as a rare la...
Polish programmer and chess enthusiast Pawel Kacprzak joins me to share the story behind Chessvision.ai . Chessvision.ai is a helpful app and browser extension that can scan chess diagrams and connect them to related YouTube videos and chess books, and allows you to easily turn these positions into digital flashcards. We talk about how Pawel’s side project grew into a full-time business, what it takes to build tech tools for chess players, and what Pawel has planned next for his growing platform...
The 2025 FIDE World Cup has been as dramatic as ever. Top seeds like GM Gukesh D, Ian Nepomniatchtchi, and Anish Giri have been eliminated, but we still have some top 10 stalwarts remaining, as well as many surprise advancers to the Round of 32. Joining from Goa, FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal helps break it all down. We discuss: Should we be surprised by the number of upsets? The performances of veterans like GM Peter Leko (still in) and GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (eliminated) Whether the reports o...
Fresh off her third consecutive (and fourth overall) U.S. Women’s Championship title, I was honored to catch up with 22-year-old IM Carissa Yip. Carissa has taken a gap year from Stanford University and is immersed in a demanding schedule of training and competition. She’s had some excellent results this year and is now ranked #21 among women in the world. Despite her success, Carissa has also experienced the emotional ups and downs that every serious chess player can relate to. In our conversat...
GM Andy Soltis is a U.S. Chess Hall of Famer, prolific author, and longtime Chess Life columnist who has left a lasting mark on American chess while balancing a decades-long career as an editor at the New York Post . His recent memoir, Deadline Grandmaster , retraces those parallel paths and shares remarkable stories such as playing a 16-year-old Vishy Anand, meeting Mikhail Tal, corresponding with Irving Chernev, and unknowingly crossing paths with Bobby Fischer. In our conversation, Andy revis...
As the chess world digests the devastating news of the passing of Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky , I found myself thinking back to our first interview in August of 2020 (Episode 191). At the time, as chess boomed during the pandemic, Danya was ascending from promising young American player to chess commentating superstar. In the interview Danya’s eloquence, empathy, and hilarious impersonations were on full display. It is among the most listened-to Perpetual Chess episodes in the podcast's 9 year...
The Adult Improver Series returns with a fascinating story that highlights the broad appeal of chess. Marcos Patricio Macedo is a Brasília-based forensic detective, dad, and chess enthusiast who rediscovered the game in 2018 and hasn’t stopped since. Chess has become a welcome escape from the pressures of his homicide-investigation work, and he’s helped build community both locally and among fellow officers. Marcos believes in the game’s value so deeply that he helped restore chess as an event i...
Stjepan Tomić has built a sizable following through his beloved Hanging Pawns YouTube Channel , but good old-fashioned chess books remain his true passion. That passion has led to his ambitious new project, ChessReads.com , a free platform designed to help players of all levels find the right book for their needs through crowdsourced reviews. The project already features its own YouTube channel, Discord server, and a growing website filled with helpful writeups. To celebrate the site’s launch, S...
Despite an impressive chess résumé as one of the U.S.’s top women players, Tatev Abrahamyan has had moments when she questioned whether it was all worth it. After a prolonged slump, she not only considered giving up on ever earning the International Master title, but she nearly quit competitive chess altogether. Fortunately, Tatev persevered. Earlier this year, she unexpectedly finished second in the Woman’s American Cup, and then in August, she delivered a standout result that earned her the In...
Ben Johnson and GM Daniel King analyze the FIDE Grand Swiss, highlighting Anish Giri's victory and Matthias Bluebaum's surprising qualification for the Candidates tournament. They delve into the stylistic elements that led to success, the debate around the tournament's format and tiebreakers, and the impact of color imbalances in pairings. The discussion also covers the evolution of opening preparation, impressive young players like Erdogmus and Mishra, and Daniel King's current projects.
North Carolina–based trainer and author Elshan Moradiabadi has won over 25 tournaments and was the 2001 National Champion of his native Iran. Despite his many accomplishments, Elshan is deeply reflective about the proper role chess should play in one’s life. While he has no regrets about the sacrifices he made, his experiences have given him valuable lessons to share, including: Why you should keep chess enjoyment as your North Star The importance of intuition, and the nine cues for evaluating a...
As you may have heard, GM Hikaru Nakamura made a surprise appearance at the Louisiana State Championship, as part of fulfilling FIDE’s World Championship qualification criteria. In return, the players he encountered gained memories and stories they’ll never forget. In this multi-guest special episode, I speak with several of Hikaru’s opponents, as well as the tournament’s organizer, to hear their firsthand accounts: Senior Tournament Director Richard Campbell (13:00) – on why he and his team ...
ChessDojo’s GM Jesse Kraai is always one of my favorite people to talk chess with, yet somehow it had been five years since his last visit to the pod. Jesse returned at a great time, having been both studying and competing actively, and recently achieving his goal of qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Senior Closed Championship. His recent over-the-board activity provided a springboard for us to discuss a wide range of topics, including: How he has learned to confront his fears in tough, “meat-grinder...
NM Max Farberov is a 27-year-old chess instructor, Chessable author, and online speed-chess specialist with a Chess.com blitz rating north of 2600. He joined me after a busy chess summer that included his first European open and one of his best OTB results to date: winning clear first in the Under-2300 section of the Washington International. As Max explains, this breakthrough came only after months of frustration and feeling that he had reached a plateau, making the success all the sweeter. In ...
